My Top Tips For Tackling Head Lice & Nits

I’m not sure it’s something to shout from the roof tops, but I’d like to think I’ve now got some experience in tackling head lice and nits. After going seven years without getting a case of the dreaded creepy crawlies, then it suddenly felt like we were infested for weeks. But we are out the other side and I wanted to share some tips and tricks that I’ve picked up in my eight years of parenting. Obviously I am not an expert or a medical professional but these are my parenting experiences.

Use a head lice and nit comb regularly.

It’s easier said than done in a busy household. But if you can use a head lice comb, which can be bought as part of a treatment pack or individually, after every time you brush your child’s hair. This way you can detect the early arrivals of head lice and nits before it gets too bad.

Strip the beds.

If you happen to find even just the one head lice, then strip everyones beds and wash your towels. My girls, especially P1 sleep with a lot of teddies. To save you the hassle of washing their entire soft toy collection, just pop them all in a bin bag and leave thrm tied up for over two days. Head lice cannot live for more than two to three days without a host (you).

Try different products.

There are so many products and it is not always the chemical brands that combat those creepy crawlies. We’ve actually found that the Kit & Coco brand is fantastic and gentle for getting rid of head lice and nits so definitely try many different brands if you are experiencinf persistant infestations.

Buy some defence products.

Vosene Kids have a brilliant shampoo that we’ve recently tested. It’s a 3in1 shampoo that cleanses and conditions your child’s hair and scalp for naturally shiny, healthy-looking hair. The shampoo contains natural tea tree oil and lemon eucalyptus oil to help prevent head lice and when you team it up with the Conditioning Defence Spray, you have a great base for a head lice repellent. We’ve been using these two products for every hair wash for the girls and not only does it leave their hair smelling delicious, it’s in brilliant condition too.

Allow treats during treatment time.

Getting rid of head lice is a really traumatic experience for every body. It can take up to an hour for the entire process and for a child. That’s a lifetime to be sitting either doing nothing but wait, or having your parent tug at your hair continuously. Give in to some iPad time, a sweet treat, a bottle of milk when you wouldn’t normally offer it. Literally do anything to make the experience slightly more interesting. The Kit & Coco treatment kit even comes with a hair cap and temporary tattoos for kids.

Tie hair up.

This is where I’ve gone wrong in the past few months. I was always very strict and brilliant with P1s hair. I’d take my time every morning to braid her hair so that every tiny fly away piece of hair was securely fastened to her head. But for some reason she either kept coming home with her hair down, or I just ran out of time to do it and a simple pony tail would do. I honestly believe that keeping your hair in braids is the key to preventing head lice.

These things might seem super obvious, but I honestly all of these really worked for us for seven years. I got super slack with tying P1s hair up in the past year or so, and she’s frequently coming back with her hair down after me tying it up. I believe that’s the true reason she caught nits and also the reason P2 got them too because she never lets me put her hair up. What are you tips for tackling and preventing head lice?

Jodie Fisher

Welcome I am a young mum of three daughters; P1 born 2008, P2 born 2013 and P3 who was born in 2014. Our eldest is suspected to have ASD and we are going through that diagnosis process at the moment. Together with my family we cover topics relating to parenting, our daily struggles and joys of life, product reviews, our travel adventures, baking, crafts and everything in between. I hope you enjoy being here and please contact me if you have any queries.